The Morning Thieves would probably be the first to admit that they’re all about the hooks. It’s rare to find a young band that's enthusiastic about personal connection with their audience without coming off as totally superficial. But that’s this band in a nutshell: performers — entertainers, really — who trade in fun pop but don’t water it down too much. Like Hollerado, they’re just a little more complex than what you’d ordinarily hear on the radio.
Case in point: the Thieves’ new Wrongside EP, specifically its titular track, which for the first half packs in hooks like sardines in a crushed tin box. Drum hooks, guitar hooks and vocal breakdowns (which echo Our Lady Peace back when they were, like, good) trade places. It’s this dedication to density, this musical cutting-of-the-fat (for the most part), that makes them convincing — and, as a matter of fact, they’re also more convincing live than they are recorded.
The Our Lady Peace comparison is doubly apt, because the Thieves seem to embody a little of that band’s Clumsy-era brooding atmosphere. What makes them unique is their understanding that dark music can be fun and accessible. They’re still mastering their craft: Wrongside is not without missteps, but for a first release, it’s an accomplishment, with plenty of promise and some room to grow. Wrongside dropped at The Piston on Oct. 6, and we got lead singer Bryan Fligg on the phone to talk about where the Thieves are at and where they’re headed.
Last time we spoke you guys were busy trying to wrap this thing up — which was a while ago. It sounds great, by the way, but obviously this was an intense process. When did you get it finished?
Well, we finished recording in April and started mixing in May. We took a break over the summer to play some shows — we did the Warrior Dash, which is basically this insane military obstacle course. There were over 21,000 people there, which was amazing. Not all of them were there for the music, of course, but the vibe was still there. We also did a cancer benefit at the Horseshoe. We finished mixing in late August and then mastered it in September at the Wreckhouse. Shortly after that, TIMA (the Toronto Independent Music Awards) wanted “Wrongside” for a promotional video, which was awesome. We also shot a fun sort of summer video for “Holding On” at my family’s cottage.
How have sales been?
Well, we managed to sell 60 copies at our CD release, and 30 packages with a CD and a T-shirt.
That’s pretty damn good for an indie CD release.
Yeah, totally. It was an awesome event; we packed The Piston at $10 apiece, and the energy was incredible. All eyes on us, everybody sweating … the audience was totally involved, and that’s what we strive for. If it feels intimate, if it feels high-energy, then we’ve succeeded. We also signed on with Indie Pool to do distribution, duplication, artwork and radio promotion. It’s really a great tool for indie bands working their way up. Basically you get 250 CDs for $500 — the same price ratio as you’d get with a bigger run, say a thousand CDs — but for a short run. Anyone making their way in the industry should check it out.
How do you feel about the final product?
I love it. It’s got a great consistency to It — it listens like a cohesive product, not like a handful of songs. A lot of that has to do with all of the preproduction we did… we recorded with Tim [Oxford] from the Arkells, and most of the preproduction was done at his place. We’d work, go out and grab a schawarma, come back and work some more. We trimmed a lot of fat. When we started getting sick of each other we’d just burn off the aggression with some N64.
What game?
Goldeneye. Four-player Goldeneye. It really works.
Who do you like in Canadian music right now?
I don’t know, man, it’s hard to say: I just keep hearing about these new bands, and they blow me away. The quality of the material coming out of the Toronto-Hamilton-Newmarket sort-of area is great. I mean, I come from a place musically where I love bands like Wilco, Spoon — but we [the band] really like Canadian music right now: Tokyo Police Club, The Reason, Sweet Thing … and, man, I saw Hollerado at Sound Academy, and it was just great. It wasn’t over the top, it wasn’t cocky: just guys who genuinely love what they do, not forcing it on you but subtly convincing you.
That’s kind of how they struck me with their answers to my interview questions, as well. I see that commonality between your bands, and the Arkells too because of the Springsteen-anthem quality, but you guys are a lot darker than either Hollerado or the Arkells, I feel.
Yeah, we are definitely darker, but… I mean, some of us used to play in a prog-rock band, and we were just all about screwing with your head — but there came a time where we just had to say “f*** it” to that. It has to feel good for the audience, it has to get the audience involved, make them feel like the material is theirs, not exclusively ours.
Morning Thieves are:
Bryan Fligg — Vocals, Guitar, Keys
Stephen Orr — Guitar, FX
Mike Appleton — Bass, Vocals
Christopher Paul Hummel — Drums, Vocals